When you combine the right holiday with a message, theme, character, or setting in your book, you can get ideas for an engaging blog post, a lively online discussion, or ways to get media attention.

Try using this strategy every month to keep people talking about your book long after the launch.

Ideas you can use

To get things started, here are a few examples of books that can take advantage of these fun February opportunities:

• February 2 is “Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day.” This is tailor-made for self-help book Ice Cream for Breakfast: How rediscovering your inner child can make you calmer, happier, and solve your bullsh*t adult problems, Richard Scarry’s children’s book Ice Cream for Breakfast, and memoir Of Course You Can Have Ice Cream for Breakfast!: A Journalist’S Uncommon Memoir.
• Randi Minetor, author of Backyard Birding: A Guide to Attracting and Identifying Birds, can use February 3, “Feed the Birds Day,” as the timely news peg for a tip sheet on what seedy treats to use to attract certain types of birds.
• February 15, “Susan B. Anthony Day,” lets the author of the children’s book Who Was Susan B. Anthony? or Strudels with Susan B. Anthony schedule school visits.
• Any author with a book involving dogs (think A Dog’s Purpose: A Novel for Humans) can create social media images that will start a conversation for February 22, “Walking the Dog Day.” Use them to get your network talking about how walking the dog contributes to or benefits their lives.

Festive and Fun February occasions

Use this short list of fun February holidays to inspire you. See all of them on the Holiday Insights site.

• February 2 Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day
• February 3 Feed the Birds Day
• February 4 Thank a Mailman Day
• February 5 National Weatherman’s Day
• February 6 National Chopsticks Day
• February 7 Send a Card to a Friend
• February 9 Toothache Day
• February 10 Umbrella Day
• February 11 Clean out Your Computer Day
• February 11 Don’t Cry over Spilled Milk Day
• February 11 Make a Friend Day
• February 11 National Inventors Day
• February 14 Ferris Wheel Day
• February 14 National Organ Donor Day
• February 15 Singles Awareness Day
• February 15 Susan B Anthony Day
• February 16 Do a Grouch a Favor Day
• February 20 Hoodie Hoo Day
• February 20 Love Your Pet Day
• February 22 Be Humble Day
• February 22 Walking the Dog Day
• February 26 Tell a Fairy Tale Day

You can also look ahead to March and April so you’re well-prepared for the next few months.

Which of these holidays can you link your book to? How will you use it for book promotion?